Amstrad Mega PC - Console Gaming in an IBM-PC Compatible | Trash to Treasure (1/4)

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  • Опубліковано 27 сер 2024
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    Part 1: • Amstrad Mega PC - Cons...
    Part 2: • Amstrad Mega PC - Rest...
    Part 3: • Amstrad Mega PC - Retr...
    Part 4: • Amstrad Mega PC Test D...
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    ● Description
    The Amstrad Mega PC is a curious thing, a 386 IBM PC compatible with a Mega Drive inside it released in 1993. I picked this one up for £100 sight unseen and today I'll see if it can be salvaged. Let's open it up and see what we find.
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КОМЕНТАРІ • 643

  • @RMCRetro
    @RMCRetro  5 років тому +66

    Thanks for watching. Did you own an Amstrad MegaPC? Do you know if the 486 version made it to market or have you upgraded your own? Was a hybrid PC/MegaDrive ever a good idea? Leave your comments!
    If you enjoy my content and would like to show support for The Cave then here's how you can help:
    ● Support RMC on Patreon: www.patreon.com/RetroManCave
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    Thank you!
    Neil - RMC

    • @KuraIthys
      @KuraIthys 5 років тому +2

      I don't think the Amstrad version had much of a point. - it's literally just a PC and a Mega Drive in a single case...
      Amusing gimmick, but utterly pointless
      But the TeraDrive would have been interesting... If it wasn't so woefully underpowered.
      A 286 in 1993? Yeah, no.

    • @4879daniel
      @4879daniel 5 років тому +4

      I didn't own it I just looked at it admiringly in Tandy.

    • @GameHammerCG
      @GameHammerCG 5 років тому +3

      I had one but never saw the 486 version for sale (except for the adverts in Amstrad Action, including the price-reduced adverts that also advertised a price-dropped 486 version) so I have a feeling it would have been mostly a by-request thing.

    • @GameHammerCG
      @GameHammerCG 5 років тому +3

      @@remlap It's funny how that happens, isn't it? For me it was "shall I play Sonic again, or Civilisation?" Civilisation usually won.

    • @ComeFlyFlex
      @ComeFlyFlex 5 років тому +3

      I had the 386sx 25Mhz version. Took me ages to save up for it and was so poor spec it really did not do what I needed it to, guess I just didn't understand PC spec back then :-)

  • @SyphistPrime
    @SyphistPrime 5 років тому +96

    "So do you have a PC or a console for games?"
    "Yes"

    • @nickwallette6201
      @nickwallette6201 5 років тому +1

      PC blended with a console master race!

    • @Ezyasnos
      @Ezyasnos 5 років тому

      And consoles are literally PC's nowadays.

    • @SyphistPrime
      @SyphistPrime 5 років тому +1

      @@Ezyasnos sort of. Yes the Xbone and PS4 are x86 based but they are not 100% like a PC. The PS4 has a nonstandard Southbridge that is controlled by an ARM CPU, and if I recall both lack a lot of legacy features like support for PS/2 mice and keyboards. Because of that they are very much still their own types of devices, but they are closer to PCs than they have ever been.

  • @DevilishDesign
    @DevilishDesign 5 років тому +40

    A Silicon Graphics keyboard on an Amstrad. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. :)

  • @creechrfeechr8094
    @creechrfeechr8094 4 роки тому +9

    It's a pity Alan never thought to release his closing monologue over the end credits music as a dance track in the 90s. He'd have made a fortune!

  • @fluxflaw
    @fluxflaw 5 років тому +25

    This was my first PC when I was a child, absolutely loved it. Always thought my old man had left it in his loft so I started searching for it this year so I could refurbish it and get it working again but it looks as though he must of chucked it out along with the monitor at some point :(
    Have been searching for one on eBay all year so pretty jealous you managed to find one

    • @R33Racer
      @R33Racer 5 років тому

      There's been plenty listed.
      Just in the last few years, they've been fetching stupid money.

  • @d2factotum
    @d2factotum 5 років тому +13

    I bought my first PC in 1993, and it was a 40MHz 386SX, total cost about £500. How Amstrad thought they'd sell a machine half the speed for twice the price, even with a MegaDrive bolted on, is beyond me.

    • @leahparsuidualc666
      @leahparsuidualc666 5 років тому +1

      The price differences between US, Japan and Europe were gigantic back then and especially in Central-Europe (due to 'clever' salesmen) behaved like a yoyo from 4-digits nono to we-need-the-space twenty-left buy-a-cheapstake-solo-gogo ... well, kinda .. i ... think???

  • @MarkyShaw
    @MarkyShaw 5 років тому +6

    This has to be the raddest computer I've ever seen. The Genesis played a huge part in my gaming youth, as did the 386. To have them in one unit would have been incredible. Never knew this existed. Gorgeous! Thanks so much for another great lesson RMC!!!

  • @poppasteve2976
    @poppasteve2976 5 років тому +14

    "Will it blend?" I haven't laughed that hard at a youtube video in a long time! Thank you! Always looking forward to your next video.

    • @mintydog06
      @mintydog06 5 років тому

      lol yeah, I completely wasn't ready for that.

  • @richaw11
    @richaw11 5 років тому +87

    Love the Alan sugar Yorkshire/cockney accent. Lol

    • @jason_a_smith_gb
      @jason_a_smith_gb 5 років тому +1

      richaw11 Same hair.

    • @thatguy3718
      @thatguy3718 5 років тому +1

      Yorkshire/cockney accent those two places are nowhere near each other to have such a accent lol

    • @madcommodore
      @madcommodore 3 роки тому

      Sounded more like Ricky Jervais hocked up on cough syrup trying to do a London accent to me.

  • @TaswcmT
    @TaswcmT 5 років тому +3

    This channel is brilliant. I've never really understood why it has only 1/3 the subscribers of Nostalgia Nerd - similar channels, similar content. If anything, I feel this channel goes deeper into the matter at hand.

    • @KuraIthys
      @KuraIthys 5 років тому +1

      Time?
      It's a simple fact of life that getting subscribers on youtube takes time.
      If you compare someone who started 3 years ago against someone who started 7 years ago, what do you expect to see?

    • @TaswcmT
      @TaswcmT 5 років тому

      ​@@KuraIthys The oldest video on this channel is 7 years old, while the oldest video on Nostalgia Nerd is only 4 years old - so I expected to see this channel have the most subscribers by a solid margin.

    • @R33Racer
      @R33Racer 5 років тому

      @@KuraIthys Time has got shit-all to do with it. It's if your video gets featured.
      Make a video that the UA-cam automated god's spot and before you know it 5,000 subs becomes near 100,000.
      That guy who has the catchphrase"here's the scoop" (forget his name) is a fine example. Went from a few hundred subscribers to 6 figures in the space of a few days.

  • @stephen_graham
    @stephen_graham 5 років тому +22

    Wow I remember a friend buying one of these brand new, and thinking to myself why didn't he buy a better PC and a separate mega drive lol

  • @AndySmallbone
    @AndySmallbone 5 років тому +6

    At Amstrad we also had a teradrive and we worked close with sega Japan and I spoke to them personally few times due to issues with some games crapping out during gameplay which we eventually fixed and I went out to a few customers to patch them.

  • @Matty112uk
    @Matty112uk 5 років тому +3

    The first PC I used to play games was an Amstrad Mega PC. It must have been late 1993. I wasn't very technically minded back then, I just remember that it played X-Wing like a dream. Also, The Mega Drive graphics looked super sharp on the VGA monitor. Much sharper than on the usual 14 - 15" TV's that sat in most UK kids bedrooms of that era. I was quite jealous of my friend at the time!
    Awesome video!

    • @CNash85
      @CNash85 5 років тому +1

      It played TIE Fighter even better.... even if it did take up half of the space on the 40 MB hard drive!

    • @MrDuncl
      @MrDuncl 5 років тому

      I think that was the main point, that you didn't need to use a TV for the Megadrive. I keep thinking that if they had built a TV into this it would have covered all bases. Amstrad sold a TV tuner for the CPCs monitor and years later Sony did a TV with a Playstation 2 built in so it wouldn't have been too radical an idea

  • @mymidschoollife8485
    @mymidschoollife8485 5 років тому +1

    If you wanted some more history. I worked for a company who bought all of the Amstrad rights and stock after Sugar wanted rid. It was then called Edcom and was based in Streatham. We used to mainly do floppy conversions to 3.5 and so on. I left the company in 2000 to go off to the USA but yes, we had a lot of Amstrad stuff. You would be surprised just how many older folk wanted these things repaired and working. We did a butt load of printers too, which was usually sanding and "fluffing up" the rubber paper feeders (which was what used to go on them).

    • @mymidschoollife8485
      @mymidschoollife8485 5 років тому +1

      And yes, it was probably us who changed the controller board on the HDD.

  • @drdoomslab
    @drdoomslab 5 років тому +11

    I used to have one of these as a kid. Grate memory's. With respect of the 15khz screen you could look for a NEC Accusync 71v as this has a 15khz mode that should work grate with this. Cheers for the Vid.

    • @markpenrice6253
      @markpenrice6253 5 років тому +1

      Or just go the Amiga route and get a scandoubler. Toss up as to what would be cheaper, an increasingly rare multisync, or a generic monitor plus an OSSC. Wouldn't even need to disconnect it in PC mode as almost any worthwhile monitor should be able to sync double-frequency VGA these days.
      Or maybe just a VGA-SCART adapter as used to connect 15khz RGB sources to data projectors, and either a cheap secondhand projector (who doesn't want an 8x6ft game of Sonic?), or a couple of gender changers, a switchbox and a TV. Shouldn't be too difficult to fit a couple of small LCDs together in the same sort of space a single CRT used to reserve. Just flip from one to the other as needed.
      ... in fact, no. Just get a regular small-to-midsize TV that also has a VGA input. Get a VGA Y-cable and the aforementioned adapter. Plug both loose ends into the TV, and just swap between "AV1" and "PC" inputs. Job done.

  • @gymnasiast90
    @gymnasiast90 5 років тому +7

    I like how the gun is neatly hanging between those two electrical switches. ^.^

    • @leahparsuidualc666
      @leahparsuidualc666 5 років тому

      Totally! Caught it a millisecond in, as if it was hammering into my brain - L O O K _ D U D E ; H A N G _ T E N _ H O N E Y; W A T C H _ M E !

  • @adambourne5523
    @adambourne5523 5 років тому +4

    You do realise you're putting a lot more thought and care into this than the original designers? Love that

  • @Maxibon2007
    @Maxibon2007 5 років тому +2

    I wanted one of these so badly as a teenager, in 1992 my late father was still convinced my older brothers CPC6128 was cutting edge (because the bloke from DIXONS told him so!), and everyone else had the Megadrive or SNES. It was never to be sadly.

  • @compmanio36
    @compmanio36 5 років тому +3

    I always loved the weird little mergers that came out like this in the 80s and 90s. It seems there were a lot more companies willing to take risks and do "weird" things like this, even if they didn't always pan out or make a lot of sense....it was still better than yet another same looking smartphone or the same computer with a different logo with RGB lighting. At least there was a drive to be the "next big thing". Seems now like technology has reached a plateau and we're just maintaining the same status quo.

  • @batlin
    @batlin 5 років тому +1

    That Alan Sugar bit at the end was brilliant!

  • @ChrisArmstrong1310
    @ChrisArmstrong1310 5 років тому +6

    I worked for Amstrad from 91 till they sold the PC division to Viglen. I don’t remember a 486 version hit retail. I assume it would have used the 486SLC chip so allow the use of the same 386 board. Just like the PC7486.

  • @Mamiya645
    @Mamiya645 5 років тому +24

    Dreamt about having one of these, regularly saw them in the back of gaming mags but knw even then the price was ridiculous for what was offered.

  • @katpea2359
    @katpea2359 5 років тому +2

    Worth it alone for the "Spectrum with a toilet". That had me in stitches of laughter 😁

  • @WASasquatch
    @WASasquatch 5 років тому +1

    Can't wait for the next video. What an interesting piece of history. Subscribed. Honestly, if I saw it around (was old enough) and had the money, I'd have got one. The idea seems sound, and as a Sega lover, would have peaked my interest.

  • @SpartanGR
    @SpartanGR 5 років тому +1

    I remember it back in the day, but I just now realized that it was (and probably is until today) the only computer that actually combined a Z80, a Motorolla 68000 and an 8086 architecture processor on the same machine.

  • @RockstarRunner7
    @RockstarRunner7 5 років тому +2

    I had one of these, bought from some store, maybe it was Tandys, I don't fully remember. It was really neat for someone who was predominately a console gamer, for getting in to some PC gaming too. I remember I upgraded it with 4MB Ram and a Soundblaster 2 Pro. One of the really cool things was getting to play MegaDrive games on that monitor, way better than a MD looked on a TV. I recall one time, my PC gamer friend was teaching me how to play Dune II, and he had to go home for lunch, so I just slid the front panel over, and played some Sega while he was gone, and when he got back, slid it back again, and the game was waiting right where we left it. I don't think it was mentioned, but the panel below the cartridge port pops off, to reveal a connector for a MegaCD, provided you could get the special cable for it... I think that may have also required some special cart to jump start that too.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому +1

      Thanks for sharing your memories, a soundblaster card would be a great addition to it. The expansion slot gets a mention in part 2, but the special cart is quite funny, the only thing special about it is that it pushes the switch down to turn the MD on... It's a dummy cart!

  • @PixelsAtDawn
    @PixelsAtDawn 5 років тому +6

    Fascinating video as always Neil! I also liked the impromptu Sugar Beat at the end there 😁

    • @MrDuncl
      @MrDuncl 5 років тому

      It is true that Alan Sugar predicted that the iPod was a fad that would be dead within a year.

  • @petertr2000
    @petertr2000 5 років тому +4

    I remember being so close to buying a Mega PC from Tandy. Really interesting bit of kit.

  • @templatemusic
    @templatemusic 4 роки тому +1

    It's amazing to me that this thing exists! In c+vg there was an April Fools article on something called the "Famstrad", which was like a SNES/Amstrad hybrid. My brother and I would laugh about it throughout the 90's.. completely unaware that Amstrad more or less actually did it haha

  • @Flako-dd
    @Flako-dd 5 років тому +1

    This was my first PC. I destroyed it out of stupidity. Regret it to this day. Wish I still had it. Thanks for showing it to the World :)

  • @rsouth454
    @rsouth454 3 роки тому +1

    It was the strangest thing to see as a kid in the 90s who owned a MD . A shop in my area had one and batman on it which i couldnt find anywhere else . Made the mega-pc feel pretty surreal to play on

  • @10p6
    @10p6 5 років тому +1

    Nice video. I nearly bought one of these back in the day as Dixon's were clearing them out for a few hundred dollars. Instead I bought a crazy expensive SCSI CD Drive for my Falcon lol.

  • @daverees8644
    @daverees8644 5 років тому +1

    I used one of these in the early 90s, I thought it was pretty mad at the time, cool old machine 😎

  • @Vintersemestre00
    @Vintersemestre00 5 років тому

    One thing that always sticks out to me from your videos is the music. It's always really good. Everything else about your vids is good too, just to be clear!

  • @confusedkemono
    @confusedkemono 5 років тому +2

    A good computer to fool your boss into thinking you're actually working.

    • @markpenrice6253
      @markpenrice6253 5 років тому +1

      That's what the "Boss Key" was for. Shit, he's coming ... Alt-B, quick!

  • @paulgascoigne5343
    @paulgascoigne5343 5 років тому +1

    _Hey now, hey now now, sing this corrosion to me..._
    Every time you say "corrosion" that's all that goes through my mind for the next 10 minutes.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      I don't know this song! What is it?

  • @izools
    @izools 5 років тому +6

    I do remember someone from first school who had one of these. She used it as a lure to get me into her bedroom. I'm not sure it went exactly as planned, I thoroughly enjoyed switching between Sonic and Wolfenstein 3D in the early 90s.
    She didn't get any.
    Ahh what it was to be 9 years old 🤣

  • @McSynth
    @McSynth 5 років тому +2

    I love your laid back humour when dealing with tech stuff in the cave. :-)

  • @technos123
    @technos123 5 років тому +2

    I have one of these in my attic including the original monitor. Must dust it off sometime and see if it still works.

  • @MattyStoked
    @MattyStoked 5 років тому

    Absolutely wicked. What a great curiosity. Can't believe you got Alan to guest appear, this channel really has come on in recent months!

  • @jmburton137
    @jmburton137 5 років тому

    Thank you so much for this guide. I just got an A500 and was able to remove the leaking battery because of this video. Have a coffee, my treat.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      Thanks so much Jon I appreciate it greatly. Part 2 will be out soon and may offer you more help on further cleaning if needed 🖒

  • @MartinKidd
    @MartinKidd 5 років тому +1

    Only just getting round to watching this (having a baby has really messed with my youtube backlog), I used to drool over the mega pc in Dixons back in the day. Great vid as always, thanks!

  • @spadefist
    @spadefist 5 років тому +5

    With impressions like that a career in voice acting looks to be in the offing!

  • @DigitalDiabloUK
    @DigitalDiabloUK 5 років тому +4

    Oh man, I coverted these in the Computer Weekly magazines, back in the day.

    • @markpenrice6253
      @markpenrice6253 5 років тому

      I think we saw it advertised, of all places, in ST Format. Or maybe it was just the Argos catalogue? Either way, it seemed like something from another planet, to kids used to a machine that was essentially built around what could be considered a subset of the Megadrive hardware... You mean you get a *full* MD, AND a (seemingly) 3x faster, "32 bit" computer into the bargain? Damn, son. The future is now.

  • @sffpv9671
    @sffpv9671 5 років тому +1

    Very interesting and informative video! Can't believe you managed to get big Al to do the voice over parts! good job!

  • @NeoTrggrTheGammer
    @NeoTrggrTheGammer 5 років тому +1

    ironically as a kid, I once drew up designs for a Sega Genesis and PC Combo machine (iirc it had a cd-rom drive and modem port)...its funny to find out that they actually existed. Fantastic video as always though

    • @KuraIthys
      @KuraIthys 5 років тому

      I drew up designs for a laptop that had two touchscreens instead of a keyboard.
      That exists too... Although it came about roughly 20 years after I thought of it - I have one nearby.
      I mean, it's not a great idea, in practice, but it absolutely does look awesome. XD
      (Acer Iconia 6120 in case you're wondering what the 'real' version of the idea is.)
      A bunch of companies are on the verge of trying to release new adaptations of the idea though.
      Asus has one in the works (they call it project precog)
      And Lenovo is working on a small folding screen laptop, which is still conceptually kind of similar...
      So... I guess I was less crazy than I thought, if 30 years later, several companies seem hell-bent on getting the idea to work... XD

  • @Starodasbier
    @Starodasbier 5 років тому +6

    Was there an Amiga-Genesis machine? I mean, with the 68000 Processor, wouldn't be an easy task to combine them?

    • @leahparsuidualc666
      @leahparsuidualc666 5 років тому +1

      DUAL CORE !

    • @MrDuncl
      @MrDuncl 5 років тому

      I think the difficulty would be in sorting out licencing rather than technical. The same reason you can't get a combined Playstation / X Box despite them both using very similar AMD processors.

    • @Starodasbier
      @Starodasbier 5 років тому

      @@MrDuncl Thank you for the answer... i should figured it out myself... :-)

  • @eddievhfan1984
    @eddievhfan1984 5 років тому +1

    The Alan Sugar moments are made of Techmoan-level sarcasm and sass-practically worth the price of admission. But looking at this PC is great! I was only ever aware of the Sega Saturn PCI card thanks to LGR, and this device is news to me.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      Thanks he'll be back for more in part 2! See also the 3DO Blaster which is a 3DO on a card for PCs... also a flop

  • @PierreVonStaines
    @PierreVonStaines 5 років тому +7

    Argh! Still we are denied the 1Click Print Whistle song Neil! Goodbye cruel world!

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому +1

      I have to keep you wanting Pierre :D

    • @PierreVonStaines
      @PierreVonStaines 5 років тому

      @@RMCRetro Oh Neil you are a such tease! When are you coming around for a brew and to raid my fridge and garage? I've got a bunch of stuff I need rid of (by orders of "The Wife"). Like a IBM IntelliStation M Pro, Robocop Bootleg arcade board, Amiga stuff, Neo Geo MVS 1 slot just name a few bit. You can have it before she throws it all on Gumtree! Yikes!

  • @nikmcintosh1275
    @nikmcintosh1275 5 років тому

    I didn't think hearing Alan Sugar suggesting combinations of consoles with appliances would be the funniest thing I'd heard this week, yet here we are.

  • @electronash
    @electronash 5 років тому +2

    Nice repair job. ;)
    I remember seeing a Mega PC sat taking pride-of-place in my local Tandy shop in the 90s.
    I don't think they sold very many. lol
    (we already owned a couple of PCs and a Mega Drive back then, but I still thought the Mega PC looked awesome.)
    Still a great collector's piece, so it's great to see one restored.

    • @electronash
      @electronash 5 років тому +1

      I think the included "multisync" monitor made a clicking sound as it switched between the 15 KHz and 31 KHz modes.
      So it probably had a relay in there to change the inductance of the yoke?

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому +1

      Thanks Ash, lot's more tidying up to come in pt2. Of course in the time it took to make this video you would likely have designed a new one from scratch 😂🖒

  • @Colin_Ames
    @Colin_Ames 5 років тому +3

    Another video about an interesting piece of hardware. Very enjoyable, as always. Looking forward to part 2.

  • @Djformula
    @Djformula 5 років тому +3

    best alan sugar impression ever :)

  • @ThePopolou
    @ThePopolou 5 років тому +1

    Ah, the days of playing Wing Commander and then flipping over to Speedball or Desert Strike was special. Yes, I was one who had the 486 variant and (was it?) the 40MB HDD at the time. I think I still have the system somewhere. Come to think about it, I had the PC1512 before it, the CPC6128 and even that funky eMailer such was the thing for all Amstrad back then. Thanks for a little nostalgia.

  • @ichabaudcraine2923
    @ichabaudcraine2923 5 років тому

    "You know, do sausages for the kids" is the greatest line I've heard all year

  • @colinbaldwin3278
    @colinbaldwin3278 5 років тому +1

    I am new to your channel, I am surprised you don't have millions of subs! Great content, and quality. Thank you!

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому +1

      Thank you Colin for the kind words. These things take time I guess but the channel is growing with each release so I can't complain 🖒

    • @colinbaldwin3278
      @colinbaldwin3278 5 років тому

      @@RMCRetro Thank you for the reply

  • @UncleAwesomeRetro
    @UncleAwesomeRetro 5 років тому +5

    I love all the strange and rare hardware you are able to dig up :)

  • @SpyAlelo
    @SpyAlelo 5 років тому +1

    The Samsung SyncMaster 204 or 204B will handle the 15kHz signals by interpreting them as a 480i resolution. I've been able to use my own Sega Genesis (Megadrive for you) with this monitor and many other older video game consoles over RGB with it with an excellent picture quality.

  • @twilliamc3
    @twilliamc3 5 років тому +1

    Love it! Thanks for the cleaning guide. I have a Vendex Turbo-888-XT with similar corrosion on the floppy pins. Looks like I will be removing those too!

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому +1

      Thanks William, hang in for part 2 when we give it a much deeper clean and then protect the traces, this is just the first step

  • @PixelsLtd
    @PixelsLtd 5 років тому +2

    The adverts for the Mega PC in Sonic the Comic definitely boasted a 486 SLC "plus" version as available to order for £200 more (or £300 more with a bigger HDD). I used to stare longingly at those ads so can remember them pretty photographically! They were sold by Silica systems, not Amstrad themselves.

    • @R33Racer
      @R33Racer 5 років тому +1

      Yes they did, but that was THEIR own mod. Amstrad NEVER offered this from the factory.
      It was nothing more than a clip-on 486 upgrade.
      They just coined the "Plus" moniker as Amstrsd previously used this to denote their upgraded/updated machines.

    • @PixelsLtd
      @PixelsLtd 5 років тому

      ​@@R33Racer I suspected this, especially as it was a 486 SLC and therefore probably the identical motherboard. That's why I specified the adverts were from Silica, rather than Amstrad directly. Thanks for clarifying/confirming my suspicions!

  • @Novabug
    @Novabug 5 років тому +1

    Ok, loved THIS video. Fantastic work Neil.

  • @joeyb0987654321
    @joeyb0987654321 5 років тому +2

    A friend of mine had one if these! I believe he still has it but It was brilliant!

  • @colmiga
    @colmiga 5 років тому

    Something I recently discovered for covering circuit board traces after doing work on them is UV settable solder mask paint. It only costs about AU$2-3 from eBay and is available in multiple colours, including the common green colour. I'd recommend this for anybody's tool kit if they are repairing boards like in this video where they have to scrape off solder mask.

  • @Carstuff111
    @Carstuff111 5 років тому +2

    I live in the USA, and I now want one of these!! Yeah, its only a 386, but its still awesome :)

  • @Wazoox
    @Wazoox 5 років тому +3

    Ah ah, the Alan Sugar impersonation is hilarious :)

  • @karim2k
    @karim2k 5 років тому +3

    This is by far the most awesome unknown computer ever

  • @DubiousEngineering
    @DubiousEngineering 5 років тому +2

    Who did the Alan Sugar voice-over? :-). That was hilarious 😂 ... West Country London Accent! :-). Great work and an education!! :-)

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      That would be Andrew D 😂

  • @davidjames579
    @davidjames579 5 років тому +1

    I'm always amazed by the amount of varieties of Mega Drive over any other consoles before or since. Inc the US released Nomad (handheld MD). Plus the MD/MCD and 32X combos. Even Sega were still making it with the Mega LD when they were developing the Saturn.

  • @AlfredRusselWallace
    @AlfredRusselWallace 5 років тому +1

    cool feature with having the PC side stay on while playing an MD game - you could pull up a walk-through or strategy guide for the game on the early internet and then switch back to reference it as needed

    • @CNash85
      @CNash85 5 років тому

      At that point in time you'd have been using BBS systems or Usenet to pull early game FAQs :)

  • @FatNorthernBigot
    @FatNorthernBigot 5 років тому

    I had one of these, back in the day. If only the PC was a little more current, it would have been quite a nice product... You know, for people working from home who like a little "down time", now-and-then. However, this was still a nice, soldered trip down memory lane, for me. Thanks!

  • @F0r3v3rT0m0rr0w
    @F0r3v3rT0m0rr0w 5 років тому +1

    You know i had always wondered if you could make a pcb card of all consoles ... and plug them into a pc glad to see someone thought about it as well and made this product

  • @ShiggitayMediaProductions
    @ShiggitayMediaProductions 5 років тому +2

    Quite the interesting concept, especially for that generation. I look forward to the next video in this series!

  • @aitchpea6011
    @aitchpea6011 5 років тому

    Really enjoyed this, thanks! You know what I'd love to see some time? A video about the most prominent computer manufacturer from my childhood: Research Machines. They made computers primarily for schools. I remember starting with the RM Link 380 and 480Z at secondary school before they migrated to RM Nimbus 80186 almost-IBM-compatible machines in the mid 80s. At college I mostly used their PC-AX (I think it was called) which was a 286 machine. Have you ever heard of them?

  • @Comakino
    @Comakino 5 років тому +1

    This machine looks like a bit of a nightmare! Alan Sugar was an absolute mad lad for this one!

  • @VaporZone
    @VaporZone 5 років тому +1

    This really caught my interest. Enough to comment. I was aware of the TeraDrive but not an Amstrad version, much less that the sound chip would be adlib compatible. I would love to see everything in action in PT 2.

    • @CNash85
      @CNash85 5 років тому

      I vividly remember running TIE Fighter on the PC side and hearing that wonderful soundtrack emanating from the Mega Drive sound chip...

  • @Rip-Van-Tinkle
    @Rip-Van-Tinkle 5 років тому +1

    Good video, mad product, and the worst Alan Sugar impression I've ever heard... Neil, with regret.... You're fired! 😂

  • @StuffWePlay
    @StuffWePlay 5 років тому +1

    Another great trash to treasure! As a Sega fanboy in Canada, I've always wanted on of these, but have easily talked myself out of it due to import costs haha

  • @organiccold
    @organiccold 5 років тому +4

    Great find Neil. Just loved that video and the jokes in the end hahahaa

  • @nrg753
    @nrg753 5 років тому

    Wow I saw one of these in a magazine when I was a kid, I really wanted one!

  • @chriscrossan8034
    @chriscrossan8034 5 років тому

    Excellent vid. Really enjoy the nitty-gritty repair aspect. You gained a sub.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      Thanks Chris! A lot more repairing coming in pt2 soon 🖒

  • @michaelelsy2209
    @michaelelsy2209 5 років тому +3

    Never heard of this product before thought I knew all of Amstrads PC's.

    • @cliffcook3993
      @cliffcook3993 5 років тому +2

      To be honest they did not sell that well, this is how one Xmas we managed to get a job lot of 200 of them dirt cheap, and it was Xmas so we flogged them at £199.99 and we sold the lot in about 2 weeks ans we could have moved at least another 100 but we could not get any more stock, but many kids were going to get one of these from Santa that Xmas :)

  • @havaska
    @havaska 5 років тому

    I had one of these back in the day. It definitely came with an Amstrad joystick. The joypad was also the same colour as the PC and Amstrad branded.

    • @havaska
      @havaska 5 років тому +1

      Also, you say this has been upgraded with RAM but mine 100% came with 4mb as standard. I got it rather late in its lifespan though so maybe they sold them with more ram later on?

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      Hmmmm that's interesting perhaps they uprated the spec. I have found some peripherals which you'll see in pt2

  • @jasejj
    @jasejj 5 років тому

    Plenty of people were buying 386s in 1993. I bought one as a student; the AMD 386DX40 was somewhere between the speed of a 486SX25 and 33, but was over a hundred pounds cheaper than the 486.

  • @Longlius
    @Longlius 5 років тому +2

    Alan Sugar might be a strange cockney tech peddler, but as an American, I have to respect his strong entrepreneurial spirit.

    • @CNash85
      @CNash85 5 років тому

      This attitude is perhaps the reason why Only Fools and Horses was never adapted for American television - the audience would see Del Boy as a fine, upstanding entrepreneur!

    • @Longlius
      @Longlius 5 років тому

      @@CNash85 You don't have to necessarily see him as 'upstanding' to respect the hustle.

  • @Dev_olution
    @Dev_olution 5 років тому +2

    Spectrum and a toilet, excellent idea, by the time your finished the game will have loaded :) Nice one Alan

    • @CasperUK31
      @CasperUK31 5 років тому

      ZX Spectrum +poo

    • @Dev_olution
      @Dev_olution 5 років тому

      ​@@CasperUK31 ua-cam.com/video/gQEDoa5XMJA/v-deo.html

  • @TheDarkHour684
    @TheDarkHour684 Рік тому

    When I was 14 I disassembled my old SEGA Mega Drive, cut a hole slot in the top of my old VHS player with some tin snips, and combined the two. It worked great for about 30 seconds before the whole thing went up in smoke.
    Who knew I was standing on the shoulders of giants like Mr Sugar?

  • @ChaosEmerald85
    @ChaosEmerald85 5 років тому

    I remember seeing this on Bad Influence and thinking it was the most awesome thing ever

  • @jamesbell4041
    @jamesbell4041 3 роки тому

    Oh my god!!! I used to work in a tiny independent computer shop in Bracknell around 1996. It was called KL Supplies, my boss Matt had started out with 2 racks of used megadrive games, but quickly got into computer peripherals and printer toner. We had a staff of 6 all known to my boss (I got the job through my older brother who was good mates with Matt. Anyway Matt had loads of connections and was always bringing random, but ultimately cool items into the office. So the day he rocked up with 2 brand new white PC's with built in Megadrives, I literally freaked!! I remember hounding him for weeks, with Matt replying that I couldn't afford it!! In the end he ended up taking money from my weekly wages to pay for it (I think I paid about £200, which was a weeks wages for and half of what Matt was asking for each of them!!
    I have no recollection of what ever came of it, like many of my old gadgets I wish I remember who's loft I'd left them i over the past 20 years!! I've got handheld Megadrive somewhere which plays actual megadrive cartridges. It was called the Nomad off top of my head and I got it from Ebay US in 2003ish. Aah good times!
    Thank you for sharing this great video, I've thoroughly enjoyed my little nostalgia trip!! 🙏🏿💜

  • @iainbruce3376
    @iainbruce3376 5 років тому +1

    Had one as a kid.. had counterpoint os, f15 strike eagle 2 and prince of Persia. Odd machine but awesome all the same.

  • @jthorpe4droid
    @jthorpe4droid 5 років тому +2

    This was the best PC I even owned and I regret selling in the 90s for £50. It wasn't the fastest but it was fun to use. I even had a DOS version of COBOL for it. I think I had it from 93-95, as 95 I got a new job and could afford p75.

  • @mesterak
    @mesterak 5 років тому

    Super awesome video. I look forward to part 2!

  • @ncc74656m
    @ncc74656m 5 років тому +2

    Always wanted one of these!

  • @robwainfur2073
    @robwainfur2073 5 років тому

    When I worked for Dixons and we were selling these, almost all of them came back within a few months due to a fault. Usually the door would stop switching between the Megadrive and PC. Curiously, and this is a little background on Dixons workings, these were classed as "code 5." In our book of products that contained all our items, product codes and prices etc they would also have a repair code. Code 1 meant the customer has to arrange an engineer to come out to the house. Code 2 was send it away to Disastercare...I mean Mastercare. Code 5 meant just swap the damn thing and send the faulty one back to the warehouse. I guess even Dixons couldn't be bothered to repair them.

  • @sergioavl
    @sergioavl 5 років тому +1

    Another beautiful restoration! Congratulations...

  • @DouglasTitchmarsh
    @DouglasTitchmarsh 5 років тому

    I always wanted one of these. Great to see it on your channel.

  • @Skaera75b
    @Skaera75b 5 років тому +5

    :D *grabs the cat*
    *sits down*
    *Enjoys*
    Thank you!

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      Thank you, to you and your cat

  • @kaitlyn__L
    @kaitlyn__L 5 років тому +6

    Kept hearing maths coprocessor as "matsuko processor".. oh Alan, you card.

  • @thedungeondelver
    @thedungeondelver 5 років тому

    @ 6:35 would you say the card was...ISA-lated from the battery? HA HA HA I'm here all week, folks!

  • @ShapeyFiend
    @ShapeyFiend 5 років тому +1

    Neil bringing donk back like the Blackout Crew.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому +1

      Put a donk on it

    • @ShapeyFiend
      @ShapeyFiend 5 років тому

      @@RMCRetro if only I had the musical skills to bring your track to life. Check out The Retro Hour EP172 for new retrobritening technique I'm curious to see if it works and it seems zero effort.

    • @RMCRetro
      @RMCRetro  5 років тому

      @@ShapeyFiend hehe! Yes I've seen this and some Cave Dwellers are trying it with mixed results. I'll give it a go when we have some sunshine but not with the MegaPC, best to stick to what I know on this occasion

  • @micheal65536
    @micheal65536 5 років тому +1

    I want to see you trying the ISA card in another PC. Somehow the idea of a games console on an expansion card fascinates me.
    Curious as to whether it would work at all. Maybe you'd be able to use the PC and the console at the same time in another PC that doesn't have the switch on the front? What if you tried to play a MIDI file through the soundcard portion of the card while in console mode? You'd obviously have to break out the video connector as other PCs won't have the passthrough connection for the video from the card.
    Actually this raises some interesting questions about the card in the original PC as well. Does the original PC keep running or is the CPU actually suspended while in console mode? What if you play a MIDI file (or audio) through the soundcard and then switch to console mode while it's playing?